Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Comparing Kelly's 2011 and 2012 Classes

There is one thing that Notre Dame does well every year, regardless of how the previous team performs, and that's recruit well.

Every season they land some of the top players in the country, and that really hasn't changed even with Brian Kelly running the show.

Many people don't like the results Kelly is putting out on the field, as his expectations when he arrived were through the roof. But you can't deny the amount of talented players that are lining out the door to play for his program.

It may be because of the tradition and everything Notre Dame has to offer, but some of the credit has to go to the head coach as well.

Here is the breakdown of each recruiting class under Kelly.

Both Have Solid Quarterbacks

While most schools struggle to land just one quarterback that can turn around a program, Notre Dame has been fortunate to land two in the last two seasons.

Last year it was Everett Golson, and this year it's Gunner Kiel. 

Golson is the dual-threat quarterback who has a very strong arm and excites fans and teammates with his athletic ability, while Kiel is the more traditional quarterback who can make every throw on the football field with his pinpoint accuracy.

Having two quarterbacks that can lead a football team is a huge advantage over most schools. But when they both have different styles to their game, it can make things very difficult for defenses, if they decide to rotate between games.

Improving on Defense

We know Notre Dame gets quarterbacks, but the thing that sets the great teams from the good teams are the defensive players.

The top schools recruit well on the defensive side of the ball, and under Brian Kelly, the Irish are improving in that area.

Last year, they loaded up on talented defensive ends, including Aaron Lynch, Ishaq Williams and Stephon Tuitt. They also picked up a solid safety in Eilar Hardy.

This season, they picked up one of the top cornerbacks in Tee Shepard, one of the top defensive tackles in Sheldon Day and another top safety in Elijah Shumate.

If Kelly and Notre Dame can keep adding talent to the defensive side of the ball, they will get back to the promised land in no time.

Loading Up on Offensive Linemen

Bill Parcells once said, "The game is won in the trenches," and you have to believe him.

If your offensive line can't protect the quarterback or open up running lanes for your running backs, chances are you're going to lose the game.

Notre Dame recruited very well on the offensive line last season, recruiting names like Troy Niklas, Matt Hegarty and Conor Hanratty.

This year was no different, as they've landed three top-50 linemen (according to Scout.com) in Ronnie Stanley, Jarron Jones and Mark Harrell. All three are at least 6'5" and 270 pounds.

These players may not get a lot of credit, as they do all of the dirty work, but if your line isn't great, you won't be winning a lot of football games.

Overall

Whether you like head coach Brian Kelly or not, you can't deny that the guy can recruit well.

Sure, some of the credit has to go to the school he coaches at, but if it weren't for his track record, players could end up playing elsewhere.

In the last two years, he's landed two quality quarterbacks, top offensive lineman, above-average running backs and, most importantly, receiving commitments from top defensive players.

If he continues bringing in top talent, the Irish should reach their goals in no time. 

The question now is, can the players produce on the field and finally fulfill expectations this program has every season?

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]